Othello is mysterious. This goes without saying. His full name, Othello Grey - a pseudonym he adopted a couple years ago to support his artistic endeavours, brings to mind some poignant references. His Shakespearian predecessor (circa 1601) coined what is now referred to as an Othello error; an overly presumptuous suspicion that leads to an incorrect judgement. And as an allegory to the present day counterpart, his demeanour seems fitting. When Othello (circa 2015) speaks, he is careful with his words and wary of their placement. As if heedful of the name’s infamous history, he holds you at an arm's length.

This wariness he cites as a byproduct of a solitary childhood, “I just spent a lot of time alone … I liked to read.” And though his photography is wildly popular on social media, in other fitting trait, Othello is quite camera shy when it comes to being in front of the lens, “I never used to show my face.” His work conveys a similar attitude, implementing high contrast shadows and textures, within alternating close crops and super wide framing to intentionally obscure identity and traditional storytelling elements. He leaves just enough to make you squint and search for more, but in the end it is up to your imagination to write the rest of the story.

As for the future of Othello? He’s moving mediums, “most people don’t even know that I make music.” You can catch a small taste in this short flick made by Rosanna Peng. Subtle and, of course, mysterious - seems as though this snippet is just the beginning of a haunting soundtrack for the world of visuals he has already created.